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A Venezuelan alleged Tren de Aragua leader who became the FBI’s first-ever cyber fugitive on its Ten Most Wanted list is back on U.S. soil after being captured overseas last month.
Anibal Alexander Canelon Aguirre, 50, also known as “Prometheus” and “The Engineer,” appeared in a Nebraska courtroom Friday to face charges tied to a multimillion-dollar ATM “jackpotting” scheme.
He pleaded not guilty to four federal conspiracy charges during his initial court appearance and will remain detained in Nebraska while awaiting trial, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
FBI Director Kash Patel touted Aguirre’s return as the 10th Ten Most Wanted fugitive captured since the beginning of the Trump administration and the first cyber fugitive ever placed on the list.
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Anibal Alexander Canelon Aguirre, an alleged Tren de Aragua leader and the FBI’s first cyber fugitive placed on its Ten Most Wanted list, was captured in Venezuela and returned to the U.S. to face federal charges. (FBI)
“Now he’s back in the United States to face justice,” Patel said. “This FBI is running on supercharged horsepower — and there is nowhere on this planet criminals can hide.”
Patel said the 10 captures are more than 2½ times the total recorded during the previous four years.
Aguirre was apprehended last month in Venezuela, and Patel subsequently told lawmakers the FBI had captured one of the nation’s top fugitives.
The FBI previously told Digital that Aguirre led “a large international conspiracy to steal millions of dollars from financial institutions in support of the Tren de Aragua, through an ATM jackpotting scheme since at least 2024.”
FBI STRIKES BACK AT HACKING GROUP WITH OVERSEAS ARREST OF ALLEGED LEADER
Anibal Alexander Canelon Aguirre, also known as “Prometheus,” appears in an FBI mug shot after being charged in a massive alleged ATM jackpotting conspiracy tied to Tren de Aragua. (FBI)
An ATM “jackpotting” attack is a type of cyberattack in which criminals exploit vulnerabilities in an ATM, including through the use of malware, to force the machine to dispense cash, according to the DOJ.
Prosecutors say Canelon Aguirre developed malicious software and was one of the leaders of the alleged ATM jackpotting conspiracy.
The DOJ says the broader ATM jackpotting conspiracy has been linked to Tren de Aragua, which the U.S. has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said DOJ has charged nearly 350 alleged TdA members and associates since the designation.
“The capture and arrest of Anibal Alexander Canelon Aguirre marks yet another success for the Homeland Security Task Force and Joint Task Force Vulcan,” Blanche said.
“We will continue to break up narcoterrorist finance networks, prosecute violent criminals, and keep American neighborhoods safe.”
Aguirre faces four conspiracy counts involving bank fraud, bank burglary and computer fraud, money laundering and providing material support to terrorists.
The bank fraud conspiracy charge carries the highest maximum penalty at 30 years in prison, according to DOJ.
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Anibal Alexander Canelon Aguirre’s FBI Ten Most Wanted profile (FBI Media)
Digital’s Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.
